AN MSP will today lodge proposals in the Scottish Parliament for a new Member’s Bill which seeks to change the law on assisted dying in Scotland.
The bill, from the LibDems’ Liam McArthur, is supported by a cross-party group of MSP colleagues. It would legalise assisted dying as a choice for terminally ill, mentally competent adults, a change supported by 87% of the Scottish public.
It will be the first time Holyrood has considered the issue since 2015. Recent polling has shown 86% of Scots want the Scottish Parliament to examine the issue and 75% want this done within two years.
McArthur said: “I have long believed that dying Scots should be able to access safe and compassionate assisted dying if they choose, rather than endure a prolonged and painful death. The current blanket ban on such assistance is unjust and causes needless suffering for so many dying people and their families.
“If you have reached the limits of palliative care and face a bad death, none of the current options available to you in Scotland represents an acceptable alternative to a peaceful, dignified death at home.
READ MORE: Assisted dying policy does not mean the same thing as assisted suicide
“The proposal I am presenting is one that co-exists with more and better palliative care and applies only to terminally ill, mentally competent adults. It has strong safeguards that put transparency, protection and compassion at its core and is modelled on legislation that has passed rigorous testing in other countries around the world.
“It is a proposal that chimes with powers our Parliament has to deliver change that helps build a fairer and more progressive society. The bill is supported by a steering group of MSPs from each party represented in the Scottish Parliament who have outlined their support in an open letter.”
It is also supported by campaigning organisations Dignity in Dying Scotland, Friends at the End and Humanist Society Scotland.
The MSPs’ letter states: “In supporting this bill we recognise and stand alongside all those who have spoken out about why he law on assisted dying must change. As MSPs we know how much and how deeply the current ban on assisted dying affects people across the whole country.
“We believe it is right that as legislators we listen to the people most affected by the operation of the law – in this instance dying people and their loved ones. The message that comes through is loud and clear.
“The current law does not work and should be replaced with a safe and compassionate new law that gives dying people the rights they need to have a good death at a time that is right for them. We know is a problem and it is incumbent upon us to provide a solution.
“We have also looked across the world and have seen that since assisted dying was last debated in Holyrood, many places such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Spain and Portugal have changed their own laws in this area.
“We believe Scotland must now take action to ensure our dying citizens, like the 400 million people around the world with access to assisted dying laws, can also be assured of dignified death. That change will come is a case of when and not if and that the right time is now. We have come together from each party in the Parliament to work on this bill. Some issues transcend the usual norms of politics and how we die is one of those.
“The 87% of Scots who are in favour of assisted dying are diverse in their political party support, age, gender, faith and socio- economic status. Yet they are consistently in favour of more compassionate choice at the end of life. Some 88% of disabled people also support assisted dying for terminally ill adults. The bill we support has strong safeguards in place and measures proposed in it co-exist with the need for more and better palliative care. Dying people need both excellent end of life care and the choice of an assisted death at the time that is right for them.”
The MSPs who have signed the letter supporting Kerr’s bill are Karen Adam (SNP), Ariane Burgess (Scottish Greens), Jackson Carlaw MSP (Conservative), Katy Clark (Labour), Alex Cole-Hamilton (LibDem), Rachael Hamilton (Conservative), Patrick Harvie (Greens) Gillian Mackay (Greens), Rona Mackay (SNP), Fulton MacGregor, (SNP), Lorna Slater (Greens) and Paul Sweeney (Labour).
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